3 Days in Memphis: First-Timer Plan
Three days is the sweet spot for a first Memphis trip: it takes the 2-day plan (Beale Street, the Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio) and adds a third day of soul music and the riverfront. With less time, drop Day 3’s afternoon; with more, our 4-day itinerary adds Midtown and Shelby Farms Park.
Book these before you go
- Graceland’s timed-entry ticket at graceland.com
- A rental car for Days 2 and 3
- A place to stay downtown or in Midtown, check rates on Booking.com
| Day | Focus | Rough daily cost (per person, no lodging) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Beale Street, National Civil Rights Museum, BBQ | $45-70 |
| Day 2 | Graceland, Sun Studio | $110-150 |
| Day 3 | Stax Museum, Overton Park, Big River Crossing | $35-55 |
Day 1: downtown and the Civil Rights Museum
Morning
National Civil Rights Museum (450 Mulberry St, about $25 adult, 9am-6pm, closed Tuesdays), built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. This is a profound, essential stop, budget real time for it.
Afternoon
Walk Beale Street by day, free to stroll, then check out the Peabody Duck March at 149 Union Ave if your timing lines up with the 11am or 5pm walk.
Evening
Dinner at Central BBQ, then back to Beale for live music at a verified venue like Rum Boogie Cafe or King’s Palace Café. Weekend nights after 9pm carry a $5 security fee and ID checks, which keeps things calmer than Beale’s reputation suggests.
Day 2: Graceland and Sun Studio
Morning
Graceland in Whitehaven, about 9 miles south, needs a car. Book the timed Elvis Experience tour ahead, roughly $85 adult, and confirm current pricing at graceland.com .
Afternoon
Sun Studio (706 Union Ave, about $15 adult, 40-50 minute tour), where Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins all recorded.
Evening
Dinner at Gus’s Fried Chicken, which actually originated in nearby Mason, Tennessee, before opening its downtown location.
Day 3: soul music and the riverfront
Morning
Stax Museum of American Soul Music (Soulsville, about $20 adult, $16 concession, closed Mondays), built on the original Stax Records site where Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes recorded.
Afternoon
Overton Park, then a walk across Big River Crossing, a free roughly 1-mile pedestrian bridge from downtown into West Memphis, Arkansas, the easiest way to set foot in a second state on this trip.
Evening
Dinner at Cozy Corner for its tingly hot barbecue sauce, a low-key close to the trip.
Is 3 days enough for Memphis?
Yes, for a focused first visit. Three days covers the National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street, Graceland, Sun Studio, and Stax without rushing any of them. It won’t touch Midtown’s Cooper-Young or Shelby Farms Park, so treat this as the trip that gets you hooked, then come back for the 4-day itinerary .
Do you need a car for 3 days in Memphis?
Yes, for Days 2 and 3. Downtown is walkable for Day 1, but Graceland and Stax both sit several miles out and aren’t realistically reachable without a car or rideshare.
One practical note: Memphis’s combined sales tax runs about 9.75% and applies to restaurant food, so factor that in. Book Graceland before you land, especially around Elvis Week (Aug 8-16, 2026), when Graceland-area hotels fill up fast.